The Red Lion Public House - News

Yes you wonder why the club I never exploited the options to redevelop the site for residential uses. They could have rented it to the u21 squad.

 

Or quite simply move the road back a bit to extend the Vicarage Road end.

 

'Quite simply'...

 

An experiened Pub landlord has taken out a 20 year lease on the pub. He has run pubs close to football grounds before, so the police should be happy licence wise.

The council has got the pub removed from the Auction, as a community group must have a chance to buy it first, as it is listed as an community asset.

 

£35K? How can that be a viable business?

 

Well put it like this, Greene King and Ember Inns both wanted to buy it out right. They could see the prospect of making money there. All buisness leases are high in Watford, and they survive.

Any decent landlord with a plan - cannot fail to make money - opposite a football ground, in an area that needs a pub, which is also getting a brand new tube station three hundred yards away, and hundreds of new homes. The area is up and coming, and will be transformed inside five years.

Looks like the landlord has seen the bigger picture.

 

Are the community group buying the land then? They've only got 2 months left to find the £1m needed to do so.

 

They only want the pub, and hopefully the freehold for that part of the site. That leaves the current owners the rest of the land to rinse as much money as possible out of the plot. But as we now know they have tried to sell everything. Luckily enough the steering group, the paper and the council were on the case.

If a good landlord has come foward the pubs short term future is good. Here are the poposed flats, which with permission adds a lot of value to the site...

 

Although it's always been a sh1t hole I'm glad that Watford isn't going to lose another pub.

 

35k lease per annum not anticipated income

 

As Layton says £35K is the cost of the lease ie income to the leaseholder and not income of the business run on the premises.

 

To pay that rent and have an equivalent amount as salary the British Beer Association guides a sales figure of £9k per week based on 50% gross margin and 35% overheads pre rent/ salary. Still seems a lot to me when football trade is say 5 hours every home game so 100 hours of peak trade in a year

 

Presumably they will be targeting key workers and the like from the local area

 

Pub business is all about the food these days.
A sensibly priced lunchtime menu will get trade from surrounding area & hospital on non-matchdays.

 

OK cheers Gents, the word "producing" threw me.

 

Not always - i can think of two without a food offer locally that do ok - The Swan in Bushey and The Railway Arms Oxhey (opposite Bushey station). I hope the pub under its new management does well - The really need to re-organise the pub space, its a terrible layout at the moment. Pity the stable block is not included as that could have offered a food outlet to compliment the bar. As you say a decent food margin can make a real difference to the business. I think if it had been on the corner of Harwoods Road it would have become a haunt for hospital staff and visitors. it sounds pathetic but i think that little extra walk prevents people from the hospital going. It certainly will need to build up a decent following from the local residents, as its location and lack of parking is unlikely to make it a destination pub outside of matchdays. Hopefully longer term all those buildings along Vicarage Road from the garage to Farraline Road will be redeveloped and that will generate more trade.

 

A lot of pub chains do a discount for NHS staff. Whatever chain used to run B'wood's "Crown" (Punch Taverns?) used to offer 20% which was really handy when I was working at Bart's.

 

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/14396100.Iconic_pub_saved_from_auction/

The pub closed in 2014 and in July 2015, Julian Tendler bought the pub and said was considering selling after being approached by several interested parties.

However, Mr Tendler has now told the council that the property has been withdrawn from the auction sale which was due to take place on April 20.

Lorna Byrne from Planning Potential, the advisory company for Mr Tendler, confirmed an agreement has been reached with experienced operators.

She said: “We are pleased that the Red Lion will be brought back into licensed use and we expect it to reopen following refurbishment, later this year.

 

Wonder if it will actually be refurbished?

 

I liked the new bar layout, but any building needs a lick of paint after three years with no use.

A certain brewery may wish to bring it in line with their own standards (safety wise) and keep the decor in line with the other pubs.

Surveys have already been done..

 

So it's not a one man band job this time then? There's a proper brewery or pubco behind it?

 

It needs;

Better bar staff. There were loads last time but most were slow or doing something other than pouring pints.
Some decent ale on! We don't all like fizzy tasteless Carling etc.
No music at ear splitting volume. Music is fine but I don't want to feel like I'm at a gig.

 

Reads like a viz top tip.

 

Right

for those worrying about the business model, here it is.

Bar and hostel.

http://www.no8hostel.com/

They have two bars/hostels north and south of White hart lane, hence my earlier statement about having football experience...

http://www.no8hostel.com/Tottenham/index_will.html

 

No. 8?

Maybe they could rename it The Gavin Mahon and get him in to do the celebrity opening?

 

If it took me less than 4 minutes, how long is it going to take professionally trained builders?

Get it done Ponzos.

 

You sure it took you that long?

 

"We are a backpacker hostel and therefore cater strictly for the 18 to 38 year old age bracket only"


What?! Tell ya i'm boycotting the place because of this blatant ageism.

(& also because i'm 50 years old)

 

Why would a backpacker stop in Watford!?

 

Yeah, the bulldog sign was a b*tch, but of course needed if I was to claim authenticity.

 

to walk to the tube station that will be opening 200 yards away?
To attend a football match ten yards away?

 

Hmm, my wish for proper beer is looking doubtful now.

 

An application to develop the land next to the Red Lion has just been refused.

 

... back to the drawing board miked2006.